1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement to a dissimilar alloy conditioner for conditioning a liquid and, more particularly, to shielding a dissimilar alloy conditioner against electromagnetic interference.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Imposition of electromagnetic effects upon liquids flowing in conduits has been found to produce desirable consequences. In some applications, substances dissolved in the liquid are caused to remain in suspension. This can be utilized to mitigate internal fouling of pipes by liquid-borne substances. In other applications, especially liquid hydrocarbon fuels atomized for use in internal combustion engines, the liquid dispersion upon being mixed with air is enhanced. This has the desirable effect of improving combustion efficiency, thus reducing pollution emitted by, particularly, motor vehicles.
Accordingly, conditioners for conditioning liquids have been developed for installation in a fuel line. At first, active devices producing magnetic fields by the incorporation of permanent magnets or by imposition of hard wired electrical or electromagnetic fields were brought forth. However, passive apparatus requiring neither permanent magnets nor electrical input have since been discovered. These passive conditioners typically comprise tubular bodies made from an alloy of dissimilar metals, the tubular body being inserted in the fuel line. An example of such a conditioner is U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,155, issued to Luis Gomez on Sep. 25, 1990.
Such a conditioner is thought to impart an electrostatic charge to the liquid, resulting in mutual repulsion of droplets and particles of the fluid during atomization. However, the principle of operation is not clearly understood.
Effectiveness of these conditioners has been found to be reduced and at times absent. Because the principle of operation is not clearly understood, attempts to solve the problem of sporadically reduced effectiveness have not resulted in conclusive success.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,190, issued on Dec. 3, 1991 to Charlie W. Richards, it is proposed to locate the conditioner far from any "electrical source". Richards preferably wraps the conditioner with foil and paper, thus providing an electrical shield around the conditioner. Richards further indicates that the fuel line, which directly contacts his conditioner, may be made of metal. Those portions of the conditioner thus contacted are specified to be copper caps. These copper caps may incidentally contact the foil, as seen in FIG. 2 of '190. The foil and paper wrapping is also asserted to provide insulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,347, issued to Rolf Ullrich et al. on Sep. 3, 1991, teaches avoidance of grounding the conditioner. There is no teaching of shielding.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,483, issued to Wallace R. Jones on Jun. 5, 1990, teaches the importance of breaking electrical continuity between treated and untreated fuel. This is accomplished by non-conductive sections of fuel conduit placed in the fuel line, preferably upstream of the conditioner.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.